Law Firm Intake Scripts: 6 Copy-Paste Templates by Practice Area (2026)

Quick answer: A law firm intake script is the verbatim playbook your front desk (or AI) uses to greet, run discovery, capture fields, ask a conflict question, and confirm next steps. The six below are copy-paste-ready, segmented by practice area, annotated. Two include audio of sample calls.

Last updated: September 2026. Corpus stats from NextPhone's analysis of 1,446,980 inbound calls.

A potential client calls at 8:47 AM. Your front desk has ninety seconds to book the consult or lose them to the next firm on Google. The script is everything.

Most published "law firm intake scripts" give you principles. This guide gives you verbatim text: six scripts, line-by-line annotation for the PI version, what to cut, and what changes when an AI runs it. Per the 2024 Clio Legal Trends Report, only 40% of law firms answer their incoming calls, down from 56% in 2019.

If you're evaluating how to staff intake: NextPhone runs these scripts 24/7, answering in under 2 seconds, capturing every intake field, and smart-transferring urgent calls to your phone with full context and transcript. No per-minute charges. See how law firms use NextPhone →

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What makes a great law firm intake script (the 6 essential elements)

This is script anatomy: the verbatim lines that get said on the call. For the workflow that wraps the script (what to collect by practice area, conflict-check capture, jurisdiction screening, referral handling), see our legal intake services guide. Every script below uses the same skeleton; only discovery questions and urgency triggers change.

• 1. Warm, branded greeting. Firm name, receptionist's first name, exploratory open ("How can I help you today?") not a qualifier ("Are you a new or existing client?").
• 2. Reassurance and empathy. Critical for PI, family, criminal. ("I'm sorry that happened. You called the right place.")
• 3. Open-ended discovery. "Can you walk me through what happened?" No leading questions.
• 4. Structured capture. Name, phone, email, matter date, practice-area fields, opposing party, jurisdiction. Contact info first.
• 5. Conflict-check question. As a process step: "Before we go further, I want to check on one detail. Can you give me the name of the other party or the company involved?"
• 6. Clear next steps with a callback window. The single most important line. "Within two hours" is a script; "we'll be in touch soon" is a black hole. Per the InsideSales Lead Response Management Study, firms are 21x more likely to qualify a lead within 5 minutes vs. 30 minutes.

What callers actually call about, ranked from the corpus:

Across the inbound calls our AI receptionist answers for law firms, the most common reasons callers reach out, in ranked order, are:

1. New-matter intake (PI, family, criminal, employment)
2. Booking a consultation
3. "Do you offer free consultations?"
4. Existing-client case status
5. Practice-area qualification ("Do you handle…?")
6. Urgent legal matters (arrest, restraining order, eviction)
7. Referral and conflict checks

New-matter intake is the entire revenue funnel. A voicemail box loses contingency cases worth $5,000–$150,000 to the next firm on the caller's list.

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Practice-area intake workflows: how each call is routed

The script structure above applies to all six areas. The workflow that wraps it (what the AI or receptionist does before and after the script) changes by practice area. Here are the three highest-stakes ones:

Personal injury: Incident date triggers SOL check → injury and fault capture → conflict screen → "I'll get this to a PI attorney; callback within [window]" + booking link sent via SMS. Fatality or SOL under 30 days → immediate smart-transfer to on-call attorney with full context.

Criminal defense: First question is in-custody status. If yes, skip the rest of the script and transfer in 60 seconds. If no: charge + court date + county capture → conflict screen → urgency flag → callback promise. Arraignment within 24 hours or federal charge → routes to attorney's mobile, not standard queue. Available 24/7 because arrests don't follow office hours.

Estate planning: Matter type (will, trust, POA, probate) → deadline trigger check (life event, real estate closing, recent passing) → jurisdiction → clean close with booking link sent in-call. Most estate callers book a consult 7–30 days out; the intake's job is to lock the consult, not escalate. The AI books directly into the attorney's calendar during the call.

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Hear a sample law-firm-style intake call

These are the words a receptionist says, line by line, with the natural connective phrasing ("And...", "Let me get...") that keeps a caller in conversation rather than on a form. For the longer per-area qualifying-question checklists, see our legal intake services guide; for how an AI answering service runs them on a live line, see our legal intake answering service page.

Before the scripts: listen. A firm-name greeting, conversational tone, exact field capture, a defined next step. The agent doesn't read a script. It runs one.

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A family-law intake call: listen for the jurisdiction and residency questions, the has-anyone-filed-or-been-served check, and the texted link to book a consultation the next morning

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Script 1: Personal injury intake (the highest-stakes call)

PI is the showcase: largest fees, tightest SOL windows, emotionally raw callers. Capture facts, screen urgency, and reassure (without promising case value) in three to five minutes. PI fees are contingent and vary widely by sub-area and severity, but on any reasonable assumption, one signable case lost per month is real money walking out the door.

Greeting: "Thank you for calling [Firm Name], this is [Receptionist Name]. How can I help you today?"

Reassurance: "I'm sorry that happened to you. You called the right place. Let me get a few details so one of our attorneys can review your case."

Open discovery: "Can you walk me through what happened?"

Structured capture: "Let me get a few details. What's the best name and number to reach you? And an email so we can send a follow-up there too. What was the date of the incident? Where did it happen? Can you tell me about the injuries? Did you get any treatment at the scene or after? Who was at fault, or who do you think was at fault? Do you know the insurance company involved? Have you spoken with any other attorney about this case?"

Conflict line: "Before we go further, I want to check on one detail. Can you tell me the name of the other party or the company involved?"

Urgency screen: "When did this happen?" (If more than two years ago, flag SOL.)

Close: "Here's what happens next. I'm going to send the intake to one of our PI attorneys, and we'll call you back within [two hours / by end of day]. In the meantime, please do not talk to the other side's insurance company without one of us on the line. Is the number you gave me the best way to reach you?"

Line-by-line: what each line is doing

• Greeting. Exploratory "How can I help you today?" outperforms the qualifying "Are you a new or existing client?"
• Reassurance. "I'm sorry that happened" resets; "you called the right place" stops further shopping.
• Open discovery. Callers volunteer most capture fields unprompted when discovery is open-ended.
• Capture order. Contact info first (call back if dropped). Date and location drive SOL and jurisdiction. Injuries inform value. Fault and insurance set liability. Prior representation triggers the conflict screen.
• Conflict line. Inside the capture flow, not a separate moment.
• Urgency screen. Second pass at the incident date to flag SOL.
• Close. Specific window, don't-talk-to-insurance reminder, phone confirmation.

Variations: auto vs. premises vs. workers' comp

Same skeleton; middle capture questions swap:

• Auto. Police report number, citations, ambulance transport, scene photos.
• Premises. Property owner, incident report filed, witness names.
• Workers' comp. Employer, written report to employer, employment status.

When to escalate immediately

Three triggers route to senior attorney during the call: caller in an emergency-care setting, fatality, or SOL under thirty days. Otherwise: full intake plus 2-hour callback. For the setup that runs this script after hours, see our PI intake answering service page.

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Script 2: Family law intake (handle distress without making it worse)

Family law callers are usually mid-crisis. Trade PI's directness for empathy and pacing.

Greeting: "Thank you for calling [Firm Name], this is [Receptionist Name]. How can I help you today?"

Empathy: "These conversations are hard. Take your time."

Open discovery: "Can you tell me what's going on?"

Capture: "Let me get a few things. What's the best name and phone for you? Email too. What state and county are you in? Are you married, separated, or already filed? Do you have children, and roughly what ages? Is there anything urgent right now (any safety concerns, anything about a restraining order)? And what's your spouse's full name?"

Conflict line: "I'll just double-check we don't have a conflict on the other side."

Close: "I'm going to get this in front of one of our family-law attorneys. We'll be in touch within [timeframe]. If anything changes (especially anything around safety) call us back or call 911."

Family law breaks from the PI script in three places:

• Jurisdiction over incident date. State-specific. Capture state and county first.
• Safety screen is non-optional. Active DV, unserved TRO, or child-safety issue routes to attorney during the call.
• Softer conflict line. Family conflicts often involve spouses or close contacts.

See law firm answering service and virtual receptionist for law firms for the AI version.

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Script 3: Criminal defense intake (speed is everything)

One trigger overrides everything: is the person in custody right now? If yes, transfer to an attorney within the next sixty seconds.

Greeting + empathy: "Thank you for calling [Firm Name], this is [Receptionist Name]. Let me get the details so we can help."

First question (critical): "Is the person we're helping in custody right now?"

(If yes, transfer to on-call attorney immediately. Do not finish capture.)

Capture: "What's the best name and phone for you? Email. What's the charge, or what they're being charged with? Is there a court date already set? What city and county? Has anyone else represented this person on this matter?"

Conflict line: "Quick check. Can you give me the full name of the person being charged, and the arresting agency if you know it?"

Close: "We're going to get this in front of one of our criminal-defense attorneys. Given the court date, expect a call back within [time]. If anything urgent changes, call us back. If the person in custody calls, they can ask for us by name."

Facts get gathered at the consult, not intake. Three flags for immediate escalation: in-custody now triggers a transfer during the call; arraignment within 24h goes to the attorney's mobile; federal or weapons charges go to a senior attorney. Full model in our criminal defense answering service guide.

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Script 4: Immigration intake (language + deadline sensitivity)

Two things are unique: hard external deadlines (NTA, hearing, filing window) and language (most callers prefer Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, Arabic, Vietnamese, or Portuguese). Check language first; don't assume English.

Greeting + language check: "Thank you for calling [Firm Name]. ¿Prefiere hablar en español? (or detected language)"

Open discovery: "How can we help you?"

Capture: "What's the best name and phone? Email. What country are you from? What's your current status (visa, green card, asylum, removal proceedings, something else)? Is there a hearing date, a Notice to Appear, or any filing deadline I should know about? What's the language you're most comfortable with, so we put the right attorney on the line?"

Close: "We're going to get this in front of one of our immigration attorneys. Given your [deadline / hearing date], expect a call back within [time]. If anything changes (especially any letter from USCIS or the court) call us back right away."

Deadline triage matters most: NTAs, master calendar hearings, and merits hearings all need different urgency tagging.

NextPhone's AI receptionist handles each call in the caller's language (14 supported), removing the "we'll have someone who speaks Spanish call you back" friction. See immigration attorney answering service and multi-language call handling.

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Script 5: Bankruptcy / debt intake (emotional + financial sensitivity)

Callers are often scared and embarrassed. Lean on empathy, open with permission not questions, keep the dollar-amount question conditional.

Greeting + empathy: "Thank you for calling [Firm Name], this is [Receptionist Name]. How can I help you today?"

Open discovery: "Tell me what's going on. Take your time."

Capture: "What's the best name and phone for you? Email. What's the main thing you're dealing with: is it a foreclosure, a wage garnishment, a collection lawsuit, or a Chapter 7 versus Chapter 13 question? What state are you in? Is there any court date, auction date, or hearing already on the calendar?"

Conditional: (Only ask if relevant.) "If you're comfortable sharing, roughly what kind of debt is involved? Mortgage, credit cards, student loans, business debt?"

Close: "I'm going to get this in front of one of our bankruptcy attorneys. We'll be in touch within [timeframe]. If anything happens before we call (a court notice, an auction date) call us back right away."

A couple of hard nos:

• Don't ask total debt cold. Signals "we're qualifying you out" and loses the caller.
• Don't quote fees or describe chapters. That's legal advice.

Full bankruptcy workflow: answering service for bankruptcy attorneys.

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Script 6: Estate planning intake (lower urgency, longer relationship)

Easiest practice area to book in-call. Most callers aren't in crisis; most calls book a consult 7 to 30 days out. Script optimizes for clean booking, not escalation.

Greeting: "Thank you for calling [Firm Name], this is [Receptionist Name]. How can I help you today?"

Open discovery: "What can we help you with? Are you putting together a new estate plan, updating one you already have, or dealing with a probate matter?"

Capture: "What's the best name and phone? Email. Are you looking at a will, a trust, a power of attorney, or probate? Is there any specific deadline (anything tied to a life event, a real-estate transaction, or a recent passing)? And what state do you live in?"

Close: "Let me get one of our estate-planning attorneys on your calendar. I have [day/time options]. Does either of those work?"

Worth flagging:

• Book on the first call. Don't promise a callback when you can book.
• Capture matter type up front. Will, trust, POA, probate. Each drives different attorney assignment and fees.

For human-vs-AI intake comparison: legal intake services. For how this runs on a live line, see our estate planning answering service page.

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Fee conversations and turning a case down

Callers almost always ask what it costs, and some calls are not cases. These are the two moments where staff improvise and the call goes wrong. The rule from the scripts above still holds: intake explains how the firm charges and never quotes a number. The attorney quotes at the consultation.

Personal injury: the fee conversation

CALLER: "How much does this cost?"

STAFF: "Personal injury cases at our firm work on a contingency fee. That means there are no upfront costs to you. We only get paid if we recover money for you, and our fee comes out of the settlement as a percentage. The exact percentage depends on the case, and the attorney will walk you through it at the consultation. There's no charge for the initial call or meeting."

Criminal defense: the fee conversation

Criminal defense is retainer-based, not contingency. Callers sometimes expect the PI model.

CALLER: "How much does this cost?"

STAFF: "Criminal defense works on a retainer, not a contingency fee. That means there's an upfront fee to get started, and it varies based on the charge, complexity, and how far the case goes. For a misdemeanor, fees are generally lower than for a felony or federal case. The attorney will give you a specific number at the consultation. There's no charge for the initial consultation itself."

If the caller says they can't afford it: "We understand, and the attorney can talk through payment options at the consultation. We also want to make sure you know your options: if you qualify for a public defender, that's worth considering too."

Family law: the fee conversation

Family law can be hourly, retainer-based, or flat-fee for uncontested matters. Keep the language flexible.

CALLER: "How much does this cost?"

STAFF: "Family law matters are usually handled on a retainer (an upfront amount the attorney draws from as work is done) and hourly after that. For uncontested divorces or simple matters, some attorneys offer a flat fee. The attorney will explain the specific structure at the consultation. There's no charge for the initial consultation."

Estate planning: the fee conversation

CALLER: "What does something like this cost?"

STAFF: "It depends on what the plan covers. A simple will and healthcare directive is generally a flat fee. A full trust-based plan with multiple assets and beneficiaries takes more time and costs more. The attorney will give you a specific quote at the consultation after understanding your situation. The consultation itself is [complimentary / $X]."

Handling a case that doesn't qualify

Not every call is a case. Staff need language that is honest without being dismissive.

STAFF: "Based on what you've described, I want to be straightforward with you. [Cases like this / The situation you've described] can sometimes fall below the threshold our attorneys typically work with. That's based on injury severity and likely recovery. I don't want to book a consultation and waste your time if it's not a fit.

What I'd like to do is take your information and have our intake team do a quick review. If there's a path forward for us, someone will reach out within [24 hours / 1 business day]. If we're not the right fit, we'll try to point you toward an option that is. Does that work?"

Never say "your case isn't worth anything" or "we don't take cases like this." The first is a legal opinion. The second closes the door without a referral path.

After-hours adaptations

When calls come in after hours, the script shifts. The goal is to capture enough to triage urgency before the morning. For any after-hours scenario, add this at the start:

STAFF: "You've reached [Firm Name]'s after-hours intake line. We're not available right now, but I can take your information so the right person gets back to you. Can I start with your name and the best number to reach you?"

After getting contact details, the urgency question determines response time:

STAFF: "Is this something that needs a callback today (like an arrest, a court date tomorrow, or an emergency custody situation), or can it wait until [tomorrow morning / the next business day]?"

Anything flagged as urgent should trigger a same-day callback or a warm transfer to an on-call attorney line if your firm has one.

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One script, three firm sizes

Same skeleton, different depth depending on who runs it. AI routing tree:

• Solo. Attorney is the front desk. Four fields: name, phone, matter, callback time. 4-hour callback.
• Small firm. Paralegal runs the full script. Real-time capture into case management. Documented transfer-if-urgent protocol.
• High-volume with AI. Same script, never skipped, consults booked in Clio Manage during the call, smart-transfers urgent calls with full context.

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Lines to cut from your intake script

Most published scripts add lines. Cut these:

• "Are you a new or existing client?" Kills new-client conversion when it's the second line. An exploratory open ("How can I help you today?") converts better than a qualifier that sorts the caller into a queue. We unpack the data in our custom AI receptionist greeting guide.
• "I'm not sure I can help you." Never. If the call is out of scope, route it. Never tell the caller "no" before the attorney has.
• The total debt amount, asked cold (bankruptcy). Attorney-consult question, not a receptionist one.
• The dollar value of the case, asked cold (PI). The receptionist does not estimate case value.
• Script-flat delivery. If you sound like you're reading, you are. The script is a structure, not a teleprompter.
• Fee quotes. Receptionists do not quote fees. The receptionist captures and routes; the attorney quotes.
• Outcome promises. "Sounds like you have a great case" before the attorney has reviewed. Hard out.

Fastest test: read the script aloud, record, listen back. If you sound like an IVR, you've got too many lines. Parallel AI-side test in our A/B testing call scripts walkthrough.

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When the AI runs your intake script

When AI runs this script, it never skips a question, books the consult in Clio Manage during the call or sends a Clio Grow lead with every intake answer when it ends, and smart-transfers what the script can't close. The script becomes infrastructure, not a sheet someone reads.

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A sample criminal-defense call: a parent whose son was just arrested for DUI. The AI offers to put them through to an attorney right away and transfers the call. This is the call your voicemail box would have lost.

Vendor	Plan	Included	Monthly base	Overage
NextPhone Flat monthly plans, no overage	Flat AI receptionist	Unlimited inbound calls	From $199	None
Smith.ai (Human)	30 calls	30 calls	$300	$11.50/call
Smith.ai (AI)	Pro (75 calls)	75 calls	$150	$2.50/call
Ruby	50 minutes	50 minutes	$250	$5.40/min (help center)
Posh	Vogue (50 minutes)	50 minutes	$130	$2.20/min
AnswerConnect Pricing page is a quote form (checked October 12, 2026)	Quote only	Quote only	Quote only	Quote only
Alert Communications Quote only; not part of the Price Index	Legal-only	Per-call billed	Quote-based	Per-call

When a human is still the right first voice. AI isn't right for every call, and a sharp intake program names the exceptions up front:

• Catastrophic injury or fatality calls. Route to a senior attorney on the first ring. A script of any kind, AI or human, will feel cold.
• High-net-worth estate or complex commercial matters. Callers who pre-screened your firm expect bespoke discovery and partner-level rapport, not structured capture.
• Mid-trauma callers who need to vent before facts. Empathy past what a script can carry. Smart-transfer to whoever owns those calls in your firm.

For the 90%+ of calls that would otherwise hit voicemail, AI runs the script consistently and routes the exceptions. Full mechanics in agentic AI for law firm intake; intake-model pricing in legal intake services; vendor-by-vendor prices in best answering service for law firms; funnel math in convert callers to clients.

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How to customize a script for your firm in 30 minutes

You don't need to write a script from scratch. Pick the closest template above and adapt it to your firm in five steps.

1. Pick the base script that matches your dominant practice area. If you do 70% PI and 30% other, start with the PI script. Variations come later.
2. Swap firm name, receptionist name, CRM, and attorney roles. Search-and-replace the bracketed placeholders ([Firm Name], [Receptionist Name], "Clio") so the script reads in your firm's voice.
3. Define your callback window in writing. Two hours, four hours, end-of-day: pick one and put it in the close line verbatim. Vague windows ("we'll be in touch soon") kill the close.
4. Read it aloud, record, listen back. The fastest QA. If you sound like an IVR, cut a line. If you stumble at the conflict-check, rephrase it.
5. Load it into your intake system. Paralegal clipboard, AI prompt, or both. If you're using AI, drop the script into your agentic AI for law firm intake configuration and run a test call.

When you're ready to test a change, run it like an experiment: one variable at a time, 30 days against a baseline 30, count bookings (not calls), promote or roll back. Full methodology (sample size, statistical significance, day-of-week variance) in our A/B testing call scripts walkthrough. For sending intake answers into Clio: Clio integration. For recording disclosure: call recording laws by state.

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Frequently asked questions

What questions should a law firm ask during intake?

Seven core fields in order: name, phone, email, practice area, incident or matter date, opposing party, jurisdiction. Practice-area-specific fields layer on top. Contact info first so you can call back if the call drops.

How long should a law firm intake call last?

Three to six minutes. Under two: under-capturing. Over eight: over-engineering. The goal is structured capture plus clean handoff, not a pre-consultation.

Can you give legal advice during intake?

No. Intake captures facts and books the consult. The "don't talk to the insurance company" line in the PI close is a process instruction, not a legal opinion.

How do you handle a caller who insists on talking to an attorney now?

Smart-transfer to the on-call attorney's mobile with full context: intake fields, a one-line matter summary, transcript. If no attorney is reachable, take full intake and promise a callback in a specific window. Never just take a voicemail. See our AI receptionist for law firms walkthrough.

Should you record intake calls?

Yes, with disclosure per your state's recording laws. Some states require all-party consent. See call recording laws by state for the disclosure language.

What's the best way to ask a conflict-check question without making it weird?

Phrase it as a process step in the middle of capture: "Before we go further, I want to check on one detail. Can you give me the name of the other party or the company involved?"

Can an AI handle a law firm's initial intake call?

Yes. A properly configured AI receptionist runs the full intake script (greeting, open discovery, structured field capture, conflict-check question, and next-steps close) without skipping a step. It books the consult in Clio Manage during the call, or sends the captured fields (matter type, incident date, opposing party, contact info) to Clio Grow or HubSpot when the call ends, and smart-transfers urgent calls (in-custody callers, SOL under 30 days, active DV situations) to your phone with the intake context already attached. The AI does not give legal advice or estimate case value; those stay with your attorneys. What it handles is the capture-and-route job that currently gets missed when your front desk is unavailable.

Does an AI receptionist actually follow the intake script?

Yes, more consistently than a human, since the AI never skips a question and sends every captured field to Clio Grow or HubSpot when the call ends. For calls a script can't close, smart-transfer routes the caller to your phone with full context. See agentic AI for law firm intake.

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Get your intake script in front of an AI that runs it

Writing the scripts is easy. Having someone on the line at 9 PM Saturday when a criminal defense call comes in is the hard part. See our answering service for law firms for the production picture and legal intake services for the human-vs-AI comparison.